Sewol Update March 2015
Translated by Kim Donghoon
Photo courtesy of Gwangju Citizens’ Sangju (Mourners) Group
The bereaved families of the Sewol Ferry disaster organized a massive march on January 26, 2015 in the hopes of pushing the government to salvage the sunken ship, complete the search operations for those still missing and ultimately seek the truth about the tragic accident. Thirty participants joined the march every day for ten hours. The march lasted 20 days, ending on February 14 and spanning approximately 450 kilometers from the governmental memorial altar in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province to Paengmok Harbor on Jindo Island, South Jeolla Province.
The Gwangju Citizens Chief Mourners Group joined the march on February 8 when the participants were passing through Gwangju after Suwon, Daejeon and Iksan. They marched with signs and flags that read: “The Truth of the Sewol Ferry Disaster: We need action-oriented, enlightened people,” “Please salvage the sunken Sewol Ferry and seek the truth” and “Bring those still missing back to their families.”
“Please Come Back Home on Friday”
The second grade students from Danwon High School were supposed to return from their two-night, three-day school excursion on Friday, April 18, 2014, but most of them never did. The April 16 Sewol Ferry Disaster Archive Committee published a book titled “Please Come Back Home on Friday” compiled from interviews with parents of victims in December 2014 after they had endured about 240 days from the day of the incident. The book tour started in Ansan on January 29 and visited Gwangju on February 28. All profits from book sales will be donated to the ongoing project to commemorate the victims of the Sewol Ferry disaster and seek the truth about the accident.
Delayed establishment of the Sewol Ferry Disaster Special Investigation Committee
Although the Sewol Ferry Disaster Special Law was enacted, opposition from the government has caused a delay in establishing the Sewol Ferry Disaster Special Investigation Committee and appointing committee members. The ruling Saenuri party delayed the establishment of the committee with allegations about its budget and size, which include the accusation that the committee requested an exorbitant amount of money, that it is demanding more staff than originally requested and even that the organizers of the committee are not public officials but tax thieves. The People’s Countermeasures Meeting for the Sewol Ferry Disaster, made up of approximately 600 civic organizations, responded to the Saenuri party’s accusations by stating that sufficient staff and budget are required to complete the given tasks within a limited time and that the Saenuri party should stop infringing upon the committee’s independence and hampering its efforts with unnecessary interventions merely due to the budget.